Tips for Creating Desires Design

[Bradley30148014s2kg]

Hi, I am wondering if anyone can help me out by giving me some tips or pointing me in the right direction about how to make this deisgn. I want to take the black pencil and turn it into something very similar to the yellow pencil, just without the sharp points--I want a rounded W. I have been using Illustrator for years, but only to manipulate graphics, not to create a deisgn as in-depth as this one. I have the pencil broken up into its parts, so basically I just need to know how to turn the middle of the pencil into the W, and then I can pop the tip and eraser back on.

Please let me know if you need any more information from me!

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Drag it into the brushes panel. Make art brush. Set up like this: 

[Bradley30148014s2kg]

Thank you so much! I used dall three of these answers in combination and got exactly what I needed! You are awesome!

[Monika Gause]

You're welcome!

[barbara_a · Accepted solution]

Try this for the rounded W.

With the Pen tool, click to create the basic shape. Make nice clean clicks and be careful not to drag the Pen tool. If necessary, you can adjust the anchor points with the Direct Selection tool.

Select the 3 inner anchor points with the Direct Selection tool. You can either drag around them with the direct selection tool or click one of the points and Shift click to add the others.

Then drag one of the small circles to round the points. (The points can be selected individually if you want a different roundness for different parts of the W.)

You can select the 2 outer anchor points and move them down, if that's how hou want your design.

Select the whole object with the Selection tool (not the Direct Selection tool).

Choose Object > Path > Offset Path, enter the Offset and click OK.

Make sure that the shapes have a stroke color but do not have a fill color.

With the Direct Selection tool select the outer stroke and adjust the stroke weight.

Then select the inner stroke and adjust the stroke weight.

[Bradley30148014s2kg]

Thank you so much! I used all three of these answers in combination and got exactly what I needed! You are awesome!

[kphotopage · Accepted solution]

Bradley, Hi.

Here I created a Pencil Art brush with Stretch Between Guilds as Monika suggested.

I applied it to a W path. Hmm… Notice those bands are distorted and wonkie!!!

So to correct, I increased the width of the W thus making the angles less acute.

Applied the Art Brush. Now it is good to go.

K

[Bradley30148014s2kg]

Thank you so much!!! I used your suggestion in addition to Monika and Barbara's and got exactly what I needed!